Luck entry, starting from the Nine Dragons' succession

Chapter 159 The Opening of the Imperial Examination: Lu Xiaoyang's Tribulation

Abandoned prince!
Emperor Yuanchu has officially deposed the crown prince!
When the edict to depose the crown prince was issued, the most excited were the second prince and others.

Although the attack by the guest of the Crown Prince caught the Second Prince and his men off guard, it was ultimately just a minor trouble that slowed them down.

No one actually lost their life because of the prince's sneak attack.

The removal of the crown prince was something everyone had expected.

No one expected that Emperor Yuanchu would not depose the crown prince, but the crown prince would actually take a risk and take advantage of the birth of the Yin Emperor to collude with Chu Yun Shen to purge the emperor's inner circle.

Now that the edict to depose the crown prince has been issued, the matter of deposing the crown prince has been definitively settled.

When Fang Heng heard the news that the Crown Prince had escaped with Mr. Wu using a teleportation array, the expression on his face became exceptionally interesting.

Others may not know, but he knows it all perfectly well.

Mr. Wu is a complete traitor.

The prince fled without taking anyone with him, except for Mr. Wu, that traitor.

Fang Heng didn't know whether Mr. Wu had bewitched the Crown Prince or the Crown Prince was blind.

Anyway, now Mr. Wu, in collusion with the Crown Prince, has become a wanted criminal by the court, and his whereabouts are unknown.

As for why Mr. Wu acted this way, based on Fang Heng's understanding of him, he probably had ulterior motives.

……

Outside the Yangxin Hall.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has been kneeling outside for three hours." Eunuch Su's respectful words rang in Emperor Yuanchu's ears.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanchu's expression turned cold, and his face remained completely unmoved.

"Let's see what kind of good-for-nothing she raises."

"If it weren't for her indulgence, the Crown Prince would never have come to this!"

"Humph--"

Emperor Yuanchu snorted coldly. In his view, the primary culprit in the Crown Prince's purge of corrupt officials was the Shenxiao Sect.

If it weren't for the Shenxiao Sect giving the Crown Prince confidence, would he have dared to purge the court of corrupt officials?

"Let Consort Zhuang reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors and atone for the crimes committed by the Crown Prince."

"No one may visit without my permission."

When Eunuch Su heard Emperor Yuanchu's resolute decision to show no regard for past feelings, he felt no surprise whatsoever.

Ever since his feelings were toyed with by the former White Lotus Saintess sixteen years ago, His Majesty has completely severed all ties to romantic relationships.

He would never act on emotion when it came to the concubines in the harem.

"This servant will go and deliver the decree immediately!"

Eunuch Su respectfully withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, moving as quietly as a cat.

After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the decree of Emperor Yuanchu was read out.

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhuang's vision went black for a moment, and her charming face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.

Her red lips parted slightly, her eyes flashed with a fierce light, and she cried out loudly:

"Your Majesty, how cruel you are!"

"I have followed you for forty years!"

"Forty years!"

Eunuch Su coldly watched Consort Zhuang's hysterical cries and waved his hand.

The two soldiers of Yinglong Guard immediately understood and dragged Consort Zhuang away without showing her any mercy.

In the past, Consort Zhuang was the birth mother of the Crown Prince and a direct descendant of the Shenxiao Sect.

Even if these Yinglong Guard soldiers had a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare treat her like that.

But now, a fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken.

Everyone knows that Consort Zhuang is finished.

The best outcome would be for him to return to the Shenxiao Sect under the guise of visiting his family.

Judging from Emperor Yuanchu's attitude, Consort Zhuang clearly did not receive this treatment.

The Right Chancellor, dressed in a purple official robe, walked with an air of maturity and composure towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation, just in time to witness Consort Zhuang being dragged away.

In an instant, the Right Chancellor understood, remaining silent and indifferent, as if the scene before him had never happened at all.

"Eunuch Su, I request an audience with His Majesty."

"Please wait a moment, Right Minister, I will go and inform them immediately."

A moment later, Emperor Yuanchu summoned the Right Chancellor.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" The Right Chancellor bowed respectfully.

Emperor Yuanchu noticed the Right Chancellor's slightly graying temples, nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice:

"Give the Right Chancellor a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Immediately, a junior eunuch brought a small chair to the Right Chancellor.

After the Right Chancellor sat on half of his buttocks, he immediately reported to Emperor Yuanchu.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has made all the necessary preparations for the imperial examinations."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanchu's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

This is one of the few pieces of good news we've had in a while.

"The Right Chancellor's strategic planning has indeed not disappointed me."

"Is there anyone suitable to be the chief examiner for the imperial examinations?" Emperor Yuanchu asked.

"This old minister recommends Lin Qihe, the Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review." The Right Chancellor said this neither humbly nor arrogantly, his steady voice echoing in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Lin Qihe?
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanchu put down the memorial in his hand, raised his head slightly, and a glint of shrewdness appeared in his majestic tiger eyes.

He suddenly spoke, his tone seemingly calm, yet it was like a thunderclap in the heavens, exploding in the Right Chancellor's ears.

"Lin Qihe?"

"If I remember correctly, he was your prized student, wasn't he?"

The sudden attack by Emperor Yuanchu did not alarm the Right Chancellor.

He straightened his back slightly, sat upright, and spoke in a calm voice.

"Your Majesty, Lin Qihe is indeed my prized student."

"However...when recommending worthy individuals, one should not avoid relatives."

"In my opinion, Lin Qihe is the most suitable person to serve as the chief examiner for the imperial examinations."

Seeing the Right Chancellor so readily admit that Lin Qihe was one of his men, Emperor Yuanchu found it somewhat amusing. Intrigued, he chuckled and asked:

"Tell me then, why is Lin Qihe suitable?"

"I recommend Lin Qihe for two reasons."

"Firstly, Lin Qihe came from a poor family and naturally had a favorable impression of the imperial examination system."

"If His Majesty appoints him to preside over the imperial examinations, he will surely accept it gladly and will not outwardly comply but inwardly defy him."

"Secondly, Lin Qihe is only thirty years old and is quite ambitious and energetic."

"Only people like this can be truly dedicated to this imperial examination."

"If it were a senior official with extensive experience, he would probably be afraid of the power of the Ten Great Dao Courts and hold back."

The two reasons given by the Right Chancellor left Emperor Yuanchu with no room for argument.

After thousands of years, he was going to reopen the imperial examination system, and the difficulty of that was unimaginable.

The first edition, in particular, is under immense pressure and will encounter numerous obstacles.

Within the imperial court, there are naturally experienced and prudent senior officials.

These veteran officials, however, were afraid of resistance from all sides and lacked the courage and ambition to withstand the pressure from all sides, act freely, and create a fair environment.

From this perspective, Lin Qihe is indeed a good candidate.

Born into a poor family, he is young but full of drive.

Only...

"Lin Qihe's qualifications are a bit lacking."

"The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, if he wants to preside over the imperial examinations, I'm afraid he won't be able to keep things under control."

The Right Chancellor had already anticipated Emperor Yuanchu's concerns.

He stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Your Majesty, the imperial court has largely figured out the array formation surrounding the Heavenly Sword Palace these past few days."

"Wenyuan Pavilion is planning to choose a day to break the formation and add a secret realm to the imperial court."

"My idea is to let Lin Qihe take charge of this matter. Once the Tianque Sword Palace is completed, it will naturally make up for his lack of seniority."

When Emperor Yuanchu saw that the Right Chancellor had arranged everything, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Jingxing, Jingxing, it has been a long time since I have seen you pave the way for a disciple in such a way."

Emperor Yuanchu paused, glanced meaningfully at the Right Chancellor, and then said:

"I grant permission for you to preside over the imperial examinations and to handle matters related to the Heavenly Sword Palace."

"This old minister thanks Your Majesty!"

The Right Chancellor bowed deeply.

……

Tens of thousands of miles away.

Chentang Pass was a crucial pass for the Great Qian Dynasty to defend against the aquatic creatures of the East Sea.

As the guards of each family entered Chentang Pass, the battle for the divine generals began, and Chentang Pass became increasingly lively.

The guards were all young members of their respective families, so it was inevitable that they would have fiery tempers.

We learn from each other and see each other every day.

Lu Ziying.

The camp of the Lu family guards, of course, some of the Lu family guards were actually guards from the Prince's Mansion in disguise.

Since Lu Xiaoyang led his personal guards to participate in the battle for the title of Divine General.

In the past month, we have participated in more than a dozen battles, large and small, and destroyed seven or eight strongholds of the aquatic tribes in the East China Sea.

In terms of merit, among the guards who participated in the competition for the title of God General, he ranked second only to the royal family.

However, Lu Xiaoyang was prepared for the situation of being subordinate to the Wang family before he set off.

After all, Wang Fuzhi, the head of the Wang family, was not a divine general, but he advanced to the tenth realm of martial arts by relying on his own talent.

In terms of strength, he is no less than an ordinary divine general. If it weren't for the fact that divine generals are given specific positions, and there hasn't been a position for Wang Fuzhi for so long...

Otherwise, Wang Fuzhi would have become a divine general long ago.

Furthermore, given that Wang Fuzhi advanced to the tenth realm through his own abilities, he could even compete with the Four Heavenly Marquises, let alone the Divine Generals.

Because the fact that the Wang family obtained a position as a Divine General is already considered acceptable by everyone among all the generals who participated in the battle for the Divine General position.

The only remaining position to compete for is that of a divine general.

Inside the main tent at the camp.

A huge geomantic map was spread out on the table.

Lu Xiaoyang's eyes were sharp as he looked at the terrain on the map, pondering the next aquatic stronghold to attack.

Although the Lu family is currently ranked second in terms of achievements, it is not secure, as the other families are catching up very closely.

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the camp.

"Lu Xiaoyang, do you dare to fight me!"

The sound reached Lu Xiaoyang's ears, and his eyes narrowed.

Someone has come to challenge us?

Lu Xiaoyang was not surprised at all by this.

These days, we've had countless opportunities to learn from each other.

Even Lu Xiaoyang has sparred with other younger generation members several times.

Lu Xiaoyang picked up his spear and walked out of the main tent with steady steps, moving with the speed of a great general.

Upon seeing the slender yet upright figure outside the camp, Lu Xiaoyang shouted sharply.

"Who are you? State your name!"

"The Li family, Li Qingya!"

A resounding clang echoed through the void, reverberating throughout the camp.

Lu Xiaoyang raised an eyebrow, and after a moment of thought, he remembered who Li Qingya was.

One of the twenty-four divine generals of Yuntai Pavilion, a descendant of Li Jingting.

He was not well-known or prominent among the younger generation in Yujing City.

He sensed that the other party's aura was only at the sixth realm.

Lu Xiaoyang felt much more at ease.

An unknown sixth-realm martial artist came to challenge him.

If he doesn't agree, he'll probably be ridiculed.

"Why don't you dare!"

Lu Xiaoyang shouted sharply, brandishing his spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, and thrusting straight forward.

Swift as thunder, instantaneous as a whirlwind.

The spear tip moved so fast that it traced a dazzling arc in mid-air, like a falling meteor.

Seeing Lu Xiaoyang's thunderous spear thrust, Li Qingya remained unmoved, using his finger as a sword, unleashing a sword aura that swept across the sky.

Lu Xiaoyang felt as if the world before his eyes had been illuminated by this sword light.

……

After a cup of tea.

Li Qingya drifted away, leaving only Lu Xiaoyang lying in a pool of blood, his martial bones broken inch by inch, his entire body no longer recognizable as human.

"Master!"

"Master!"

As the dust settled, the guards immediately surrounded him, all showing anxious and fearful expressions.

"Quickly, inform the patriarch and the prince."

In less than a day, both Fang Heng and Lu Zilong received this devastating news.

"Yang'er!"

Lu Zilong was overcome with grief, tears streaming down his face.

Seeing Lu Xiaoyang being brought back in such a pitiful state, his heart ached as if it were being torn apart, and he could hardly breathe from the pain.

Lu Xiaoyang's martial bones were completely broken, meaning his path in martial arts was completely severed.

Even if his physical injuries heal, he will never be able to practice martial arts again.

Lu Xiaoyang is Lu Zilong's pride and joy. He has great talent and has devoted all his energy to this son.

Now, everything is ruined!
Everything is ruined!

It wasn't just Lu Xiaoyang's martial arts path that was destroyed.

Their hopes for the revival of the Lu family were also completely destroyed.

"Hou Jie, what exactly happened?"

"How could Yang'er have become like this?"

After composing himself in grief, Lu Zilong asked in a hoarse voice, as if it were a whetstone.

Hou Jie lowered his head and said as if he had lost his parents.

"Reporting to the patriarch, it is Li Qingya from the Li family."

"Li Qingya challenged the young master to a duel outside the camp. The young master accepted the challenge, and then..."

Although Hou Jie didn't continue, Lu Zilong and Fang Heng could both imagine what would happen next.

Li Qingya was not well-known before, and Lu Xiaoyang obviously did not take him seriously.

After Li Qingya received the inheritance of the Tianque Sword Palace, his fame soared.

However, this was limited to the capital city of Yujing.

It will take some time for his fame to reach Chentang Pass.

“Yang’er was careless…” Lu Zilong muttered to himself with a gloomy face, his voice filled with deep sorrow.

If Yang'er had been more cautious, then... then...

Fang Heng, who was standing to the side, shook his head.

Perhaps his uncle didn't know, but he knew all too well.

The strange aura surrounding Li Qingya must hold a great secret.

Regardless of whether Lu Xiaoyang was careless or not, he could never be a match for Li Qingya.

After Hou Jie recounted the whole story, he added one more sentence.

"After severely injuring the young master, Li Qingya also advanced to the seventh realm."

"I said I'd challenge you next time, sir."

Upon hearing this, two raging flames shot out from Lu Zilong's eyes.

The anger in my heart surged like a volcanic eruption.

Li Qingya came for the Lu family.

Breaking through bottlenecks by taking advantage of major battles is a common tactic used by martial artists.

However, people as ruthless as Li Qingya are extremely rare.

Destroying a person's martial spirit and ruining their path to enlightenment—this is an irreconcilable hatred!

"Uncle, please rest assured."

"There is a way to restore the martial bones in my cousin's body!"

Fang Heng offered a word of comfort and said softly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zilong was stunned for a moment, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

Repairing the martial bones is not impossible.

However, the rare and precious materials needed to repair martial bones are simply beyond the reach of the Lu family.

Even the Ninth Prince didn't have such methods.

Unless His Majesty personally intervenes!
Is Your Highness confident that you can persuade His Majesty to agree?

In Lu Zilong's heart, the flame of hope was rekindled.

"Your Highness, are you planning to ask His Majesty for help?"

Fang Heng shook his head and said frankly:

"What merit do I possess to warrant my father's intervention?"

"However... even without my father's intervention, I have my own methods."

“Uncle, some time ago, I figured out a method for cultivating spiritual fruits that allows martial artists to build something from scratch, and to establish something new after breaking down the old.”

"It might not be a bad thing that my cousin's martial bones are now destroyed!"

"Without destruction, there can be no construction; rebirth is the opportunity to go further!"

Fang Heng said with emotion, he had not forgotten the miraculous effects of the Nine Tribulations Blood Soul Peach.

For Lu Xiaoyang right now, it couldn't be more perfect.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zilong recalled Fang Heng's remarkable achievement in cultivating the Holy Emperor Rice.

He immediately believed seven or eight parts of what Fang Heng said.

Perhaps, Your Highness truly is able to cultivate a spiritual fruit that can defy fate and change Yang'er's destiny.

"Your Highness, what rare and precious materials are needed to cultivate this spiritual fruit?" Lu Zilong asked.

Fang Heng pondered for a moment and said, "We are still missing Thunderfire Black Iron and the meat of demon beasts at the ninth level or above."

After listening, Lu Zilong immediately spoke.

"I do know about Thunderfire Black Iron; a good friend of mine happens to have some."

"As for the meat of demonic beasts at the ninth realm and above..."

Lu Zilong looked troubled.

The meat of demonic beasts at the ninth level and above is extremely precious. Even he couldn't think of where he could obtain such high-level demonic beast meat.

Fang Heng sighed inwardly.

Unfortunately, in order to enhance the strength of the guest advisors in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince bestowed all the monster meat from the Eastern Palace Treasury upon them.

As a result, although he looted the Eastern Palace's treasury, he did not have any monster meat of the ninth realm or above in his possession.

"Uncle, it seems I'll have to go and beg for money from my second brother."

(End of this chapter)